Chrift the true andperfe'ilqame. fiance thereofto our li:lues, and that by our ;i:ol. ;. faith. And he thartakesaway this fecond part, ouerthrowes halfe the Gofpel of Chri!l:.Here A ery.This is to make the creature our gain,and to put downeChriaourredeemer; :'· Againe, Pa•Ihad faidin the d former chap- d.Phil.•· ter, that Chrill was his gaine both in lifeand "· death: and yetnow he faith, that hefti!Jdcftres 1 r, !l rr. i.rhefoundationoffauingknowledge, which Ioh.r7.;. iuflifieth and bringeth life cternall; and the foundatioo offpcciallfaith. The fecond thing to ba learned inP11uls example is, that weare to refigne our felues , our bodies and foules, and to render'all fubieaion to Chri!l:. For in that hee calleth him Lord,; hee profelfeth o.Cor.ro himf<lfe to.be·the feruantof Chrfl. The end f· of all preaching is to bring , not onely our words anddeeds, but alfo our fecret thoughts in fubicaion to him. And the end why Chri!l: fitterh in glory at the right hand ofthe Fa– theris,thateuerykneemaybowvntohim, of B thingdn heauen and earth. Itbehoouethvs therefore to liue and carry our felues in our places astrue and vnfaiaed feruantsof Chri!l:. togain< Chrijl. And by hisexample we learne that in this lifeour otfeaions muft neuer be; fatisfied al1i! filled with thedefireofChria,til we hauetliefull fruition ofhim.Narutally our defires be"nfatiable, in refpe<'l:ofriches, ho– nours,pleafures: but we mu!l:lcarne to moderate and ~int our feloes in feeking of earthly things; lleeing conrentwith the portion that God doth allot vs: and·ihe infatiablenetfe of our atfethons mufr indeede be diretled and turnedvpon Chrifr. The woman in •he Gof– pel,thathad thebloody ilfue; delired ;otouch tbe hemme ofhis garment; wee muft goe fur· tber, oetondytotouchhim, hutalfobyour faith to lay hold on him, and as it werewich The fecond degree in Pault gradati~n is, that bee dejires to gaine Chrift. Now to gaine Chrifi is nil>thing elfe, but to make Chrilt his gaine, as appearcs by the oppofition of the words. For he li>ith, hehtlddepriuedhimftlfe if nilthings, thatis, m,•deallthings his lolfe,th<t hemightgaineChrift. Andhe is madeoar gaine . both the hands to h>ng vpon him. Tho""" defire~ for his contentation, but to put his fi?ger10t0 hiS fide: we mu a fet befort oureyes Chna crucified: and hrs preuous blood asit were,afrefbdiailling from his hands,feet,and f)de:and we mufi not onely touch this bloocl, but fprinckleour felues with it,yea dip;and as it werediueourfeluesint;o it,booy,foule,& al. it'two thmgs bed<>ne. Fira, he mu a be made ours,that is,thy Chria, or my Chrill: in parti· CUlat:feCOOdly,wt mua put OHr eoiifidence itl him. Forthe lira, that Chrill may bee made ours, 'adoubleconfent is required:· Gooscon– fentto giuc Chria, and ourconfentto receiue C him. Godsconfwt, that Chria fballbeours, is giuen in the reuelation ofthe promife cou– chingthe womansfeede, m•de to our lira pa· rents, in thecontinual rcnuingofthe faid pro– mifc: toour forefathers, in the incarnation and birth ofChri!t,in his paiSion,inthepreaching o£theGofpell, int\le adminiftrationofboth the Socraments,Baptifme, andtheLordsfup– pcr. Ourconfentto receiue Chria, is when wee begin to beleeue in him ; yea when wee begin to bee touched in our hearts for our finnes , andto hunger and thirliafter Chri!l:. Thus by the concurrence of thefe c~vo cen~ feats is our Sauiour Chrill: really made ours. Alld further yet,that he may be notonly ours butalfo our gaine, wee mull: fet and fixe th; D whole confidence ofour hearts vpon him a– lone,forrheforgiuenelfeofourfinnes, and the aRheme faluation ofour foules. For whero thegaine ~~~-ro. is, there muathe heart be. When riches in– ,4. creafe we may not fct our hearts on them,bc– b.Tho. caufe,though they be good, yet are rhey not Bec~etin our gaine and treafure : CRrift is not onely r~Uil good vnto vs, but our gaine, and the very ,P,"m~'~; fountaine of all good things: ~nd therefore poft we mu!l:beao,vour heartson htm. Cbriftum Hence we learnC', thatthe Popifh religion Marh.Pateachcthwickednelfe. Forit maintainesthat ~~:·n1~c:o~ we arcnor onely to bdeeueinGod, but( a)al– e Bell". fo inthe Church: it maintaines an hope b and "'m.;. de confiden<cin Saints, cfpeciallyit>the·Virgin iuftif.l.r.) .»Urie: it maintaines laftly a confidence in '· 6 • ourowne workcs:foi~boas they-lay infobriThe third and laa degree inP4ulsgradati· on is, thathedRJimtobefoundinChrifl, And here his dcfire istwo·fold; the lirlt, to beein Ch~ift: the fec<>nd,tobefo•ndofGodinthe day ofwdgement. The firft, to be 10 Chrifr, is to be taken outofthe lir!l: tAd.m,and to be vni· red vnto Chtift as his veryBefh, or as atrue member of his myaicall body. Now thisin– corporation and vnioo into Chriil:,isamyftc.. ry;aAd for the betrcrvoderllandingofit,foure rules mufi beobferued. The firtl,thatnoton– ly our foules are vnited to the foule or God– head of Chrifr: but alfo the whole perfon of him that bdeeuetb is vnited to the whole per· fon of Chnfr.For theRedecmer&they which are redeemed,arevnited together:and Chriff, God and man, redeetn<d vs,not enly in foule but alfo in body.Wetherefore beleeuers,hau~ our whole perfons vnitedto the whole perfon ofChrift. And Saint P4ulfaitb, t.Cor, 6. 1 5· Th.rour very bodies are th•membm if Chrift, And Chti!l himfelfe faith,Ioh.6.s6. That IVet muft we hi<flefo,& drin~<hi< bio•d,th.r we mA1 b~in him)4ndhe invs. Thefecondrule i~ tou– chingthe order of this vnion: That we'e':tre ioyned totheflefh ofChria, andbyhis flefh to his godhead. For that whjch bring$ vs t~ haue fellowfhip with God, ioyries vs to.God. Hcb.:o. Now by Chrifis f!efh,we haue our fellowfliip with~od.I_t istbe v•ileofthetemple,whcrby the high Pncaenrredmto the Holy <>fholies and into the·prefence'ofGod,Againe,it feruc; as ap.i~e,or c<lnduit,to deriu~ theefficacy and operauon ofthe godhead vnto vs. The third rule is,~hat this v•ionlland~ not !n imagination,but IS atrueandreal comunaton: Neither ,doth the diaanccofplace (\VC' beingonearth; Kk k an_a__ _
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